Monique Heilemeier,Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Hello. I am Monique Heilemeier and I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Iowa. I have been in practice for 24 years in both private and community mental health practices both in person and through telehealth. My focus is helping clients to heal from a variety of traumatic experiences from childhood to adulthood, providing resources and tools to reduce suffering, increase self-compassion and self-acceptance, and improve daily functioning and my approach to therapy is to be a guide and partner throughout the healing process. I work with clients from ages 14 to 99 who have experienced a variety of childhood and adult trauma, anxiety and depression, gender identitygender dysphoria, grief and loss, ADDADHD, life transitions, and chronic health-related issues. I bring a variety of research-based clinical approaches to the therapeutic relationship. My most common theoretical approaches are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Relational Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Mindful and Compassion Focused Therapy.

I have a great deal of experience working with adolescent and adult survivors of adult and childhood trauma as well as anxiety and mood disorders, life transitions, or clients struggling with symptoms of ADDADHD, grief and loss, gender identitydysphoria issues, and coping with chronic health issues. This is the population of clients that I am most comfortable working with. I also have some experience in working with clients who have experienced eating disorders, self-harm, and addictions, but am only comfortable working with these clients if they are also in concurrent treatment with specialists for these issues or in need of relapse prevention services as I am no longer a certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor.

My communication style is non-directive, supportive, and collaborative where I view the client as the expert of their own experience and I am there in partnership with them in this therapeutic journey. I strive to create a warm, peaceful, safe, and accepting therapeutic environment free from judgment and focused on the client and their healing journey.

I began my journey to become a therapist following an injury in the military which changed my career path and opened the door to my own physical and mental health healing journey. That process awakened my passion for helping others and eventually led me to a career as a mental health therapist. Knowing that I am making a difference in the world by helping my clients to heal, reduce their suffering, reconnect to themselves and their loved ones, awaken their passions, and achieve their life goals is what drives me to do this work.

I view goal setting as a collaborative process with the client to create goals that are meaningful to them and achievable. I try to help them see their goals as a map and their objectives as stepping stones to guide them on their healing journey. I also try to convey that the goals and objectives are necessary to help the client recognize and celebrate their progress and that they need to be reviewed and revised regularly to ensure that we are meeting their needs and expectations in therapy.

I try to provide a warm, accepting, and welcoming experience with space for the client to share their background and concerns that have led them to seek therapy as well as provide some basic psychoeducation and goal setting. My goal in the first session is to help clients experience a sense of hope by giving them a positive experience and some basic tools for symptom relief.